The future of Connor McDavid has been one of, if not the biggest, talking points in hockey in recent years, especially as the Edmonton Oilers have continued to fall short in their pursuit of a Stanley Cup.
Many feel the window for the Oilers to win with McDavid has shrunk, and that if 2026-27 does not go well, the world’s best player could leave. Even more of that speculation has since come up with the controversial news that Mike Babcock may become their next head coach.
Despite that, however, insider Bob Stauffer believes he and the leadership group are fully on board, and went as far as to say he expects McDavid to extend long-term in Edmonton when the time comes.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more committed to Edmonton than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, OK? I expect the next Connor McDavid signing to be a seven-year extension, and I remind your viewers that that’s the max length here with the little adjustment made to the CBA starting in ‘27. It would be a seven-year extension. So you know what, you empower the players to be involved in key decisions — that’s the way of the future, it’s already been occurring for years in the NBA…
You know, I’m gonna guess here — if I’m sitting here telling you that from ownership to management to the players, that everybody’s 100% on board with Mike Babcock, you probably know the level of engagement with the Oilers’ top players,”
The 29-year-old McDavid is, of course, about to enter the first year of the two-year, $25 million contract extension he signed with the Oilers in October.
There has been little, if any, talk about McDavid extending long-term in Edmonton beyond his current short-term deal, but Stauffer is as plugged in as anyone when it comes to the team, so his comments carry a lot of weight.
Ultimately, how this upcoming season goes could still play a major role in McDavid’s future. That said, it has to be reassuring for Oilers fans to hear optimism about him staying, given how much constant noise there is around a potential departure.
Next: The Edmonton Oilers Are Taking Control of Darnell Nurse’s Future
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